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Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Vocal Range and Profile: So Hyang / Sohyang

Vocal Range: D3 - C#6 - A6 (3 octaves, 3 notes and a semi-tone)

Vocal Fach: Full-Lyric Soprano

Vocal Rating: Star

Vocal Positives: A well developed and technically sound voice. Impressive utilization of dynamics, and rhythmic motifs coupled with sound musical interpretation and knowledge. So Hyang is also a master of color manipulation, from light and airy to full and slightly metallic. From top to bottom, So Hyang maintains good intonation, incredible clarity, and decent agility.

By far the weakest area of her voice, So Hyang's lower register is weak and breathy beyond A3, but can extend down to D3. So Hyang understands this and rarely ventures into the region, instead opting for her middle and upper range.

As she ascends, her voice rapidly blossoms into a resonant, booming instrument with bright, feminine colors and incredible technical capacity. Here, So Hyang begins executing impressive dynamic feats without a hint of strain, executing crescendos and decrescendos as well as transitioning between registers without breaks or faltering intonation, showing how well connected and developed her range is (see Arirang Alone). A rolling vibrato begins to appear, and full breath support is present without exception.

Her incredible technical prowess is what allows her to soar into the soprano tessitura with resonance and freedom, being able to sustain passages at incredible heights (at and above F#5) without a hint of fatigue. She maintains incredible size up to G5, and though she thins above that point, she maintains excellent placement and mixing, allowing her to sustain notes in mixed voice up to C#6.

Her head voice is also wonderfully supported and executed, being bright and resonant up to E6, and maintains startling stamina throughout, sustaining C6s for up to 10 seconds. Above E6, her head voice becomes thinner and more string-like, reaching up to A6. As previously mentioned, So Hyang can transition both in and out of this register without issue, and shows fluidity.

Vocal Negatives: So Hyang tends to become overzealous with her upper belts, and intonation can be spotty in the upper reaches of her mixed and head voice, though usually only for brief periods. Her lower register is also weak and lacks solid breath support.